“Pushing More was Risking for Nothing”: Carlos Sainz Reveals Why He Didn’t Fight Enough Against Fernando Alonso

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was nothing special for Carlos Sainz as he finished P5. His compatriot Fernando Alonso even beat him for the P4. But now Sainz reveals why he didn’t fight enough against the Aston Martin driver.

The Ferrari driver says there were several limitations he had to deal with. Therefore, he didn’t push hard to bring the car back safely to the garage and maintain his points.

“The race has been long for me. I didn’t want to make mistakes and score points. Pushing more was risking for nothing. I didn’t want to make the mistakes of 2022. Fifth is not what I want. Charles’ [Leclerc] pole gives us good motivation. From Australia, there are better sensations,” said Sainz.

Sainz”Se me ha hecho larga la carrera. Con la dura no quería cometer errores y sumar puntos. Empujar más era arriesgar para nada. No quería hacer los errores de 2022. Quinto no es lo que quiero. La pole de Charles nos da buena motivación. Desde Australia hay mejores sensaciones”

— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) April 30, 2023

Charles Leclerc brings a much-needed respite

Ferrari looked sharper this week compared to the last three races. In the two qualifying events, Leclerc even secured pole positions. However, the Red Bull had a superior race pace.

That’s why the Red Bull duo, within the first six laps of the race, managed to overtake the Monegasqu. But still, Leclerc managed to fend off Alonso’s threat on his Aston Martin and brought in Ferrari’s first podium of the season.

Good job Charles 👏

First podium of 2023 🏆#AzerbaijanGP @Charles_Leclerc pic.twitter.com/aYOpgwjDIf

— Scuderia Ferrari (@ScuderiaFerrari) April 30, 2023

It’s a big plus for the Maranello-based team, which only fetched 26 points from the first three races. For context, Ferrari got 37 points alone from Baku this weekend. Now, whether the Italian team picks on form from here remains to be seen from here.

No success for Carlos Sainz

While Leclerc has mapped his resurgence in the season, Sainz has yet to get a breakthrough. By his own admission, the P5 finish is underwhelming for the Spaniard.

With 15 points in his bank, he would be eyeing to fetch a podium finish soon enough. Considering his teammate Leclerc is now only six points behind him after a sluggish start to Leclerc in the season, he would want to do better.

Nevertheless, the season is long. F1 is next flying to Miami to vie for the fifth round of the season. Will a non-Red Bull team win? It remains to be seen.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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